Side Project: AnnandaleArt.com

My parent's backyard and their dog Levi!

I have not posted in a little while because I have been so busy establishing myself in Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan. I've been trying new things like yoga and I have been super busy getting into a new routine balancing work and having a personal life. 

Even though I am trying to take a little more time for myself I have been busy working on a side project, curating and managing a website that showcases my mother's incredible art work. I have been working on the website since August and I am so happy with how well it is doing! Mom is painting away, busier than ever! If you have ever wondered where I get my crazy workaholic drive it is from Patricia Bruce! 

My lovely mother and some of her pieces. 

Her queue is filling up as Christmas approaches, if you are looking for a memorable custom gift for someone you know she can help you out with custom art! 

A wedding gift hung in a family friend's home. 

Check out her new website here: www.annandaleart.com

Another painting of our backyard! (sorry about the glare)

Weird Things Happen To Me: Before I Die...

Weird things happen to me ALL THE TIME.

Honestly, it is kind of nice to have strange occurrences brighten up my day to day routine. I was just perusing one of my favourite websites that I use daily at work “Morgue File” and found an unexpected delight (as my boss would call it). I’m not sure if this photo was taken in Nelson, BC where I stumbled upon the “Before I Die...” wall or if my message was is so unique and strange that it stayed on the wall for an extended period of time, either way it hit me in the face today.

As I flipped through pages of photos of “art” I found the wonderful wall that had people lining up in Nelson to publicly share their goals and life ambitions with my message intact. Yes, my small hands have not only impacted someone’s view of an amazing public art exhibit but they have also contributed in a tiny way to one of my favourite sites.

Strange, eh?

My goal on the wall that day was very ambitious. I think I am better qualified to work towards it today than I was that day, but I am moving further away from working in the industry my dream pertained too... I’m not sure if I should be encouraged or discouraged seeing this photo about a year-and-a-half after expressing my dreams. I’m not sure if I was drunk with ambition or just a little buzzed... I know one thing is for sure, I miss that beautiful sun shine! Summer cannot come fast enough!

I’m not going to tell you my chalked-in goal, I’ll let you guess.

Now it is your turn, finish this sentence: Before I die I want to.... 

Checkout MorgueFile here: http://www.morguefile.com/

July 29, 2014- Castlegar Sculpture Walk Sculpture of the Day “Friends & Neighbours ”

I think scrap metal is the perfect material to create a piece of art called “Friends & Neighbours” with, why?

Well, let me explain. I come from a small community in the middle of nowhere in Nova Scotia. Brooklyn Road is a community itself. Not quite Middleton or Lawrencetown or even Mt.Hanley, Brooklyn Road is a long road made up of rolling hills that takes about an hour to walk to get to town. Like scraps of metal in a pile of junk, you never know what you are going to find when you meet my neighbours. The individuals in our little community are unique and diverse but when you mix us all together you have something great.

Diversity, complexity and unique pieces coming together to fit in harmony is the basis of our Canadian “cultural mosaic” and communities made up of friends and neighbours across our country. Slocan Valley artist Rabi’a captures this perfectly with “Friends & Neighbours” another great piece of Kootenay art on Castlegar’s Sculpture Walk this year!

I’ll be honest (and a little biased), I think “Friends & Neighbours” would be a great fit as part of Castlegar’s permanent display of sculptures. It is one of the larger pieces on the Walk this year and is impossible to capture in a single photo. For more on “Friends & Neighbours”click here.

To view my previous blog on Sculpture Walk’s “Joy Of Dance II” click here. 

July 28, 2014- Castlegar Sculpture Walk Sculpture of the Day “Joy Of Dance II”

Today’s Sculpture of the Day is D.E. McDermott’s “Joy of Dance II”. The sculpture features two magnificent dancers perfectly in-sync dancing in mid-movement without a care in the world. The dancers are en pointe, displaying perfect lines and look fully immersed in their art.  

Everything about “Joy of Dance II” is smooth and perfectly toned. The sculpture captures the essence of being lost in rhythm while being in-tune with a dancing partner.

D.E. McDermott’s “Joy of Dance II” comes to us from Virginia, another international piece to join the Castlegar Sculpture Walk stage; for more information on McDermott click here.

To see the Castlegar Sculpture Walk piece in my previous blog of the day, “Saturday’s Distractions” click here. Fittingly, it is another sculpture about a lady being fully engulfed in what she is doing…

July 25, 2014- Castlegar Sculpture Walk Sculpture of the Day “Saturday's Distractions”

TGIF!

Today’s sculpture of the day is a primer for tomorrow. Hopefully you will be as interested in whatever your Saturday holds as this young lady is in her book! “Saturday’s Distractions “is a beautiful bronze sculpture that comes to Castlegar’s Sculpture Walk from South Dakota!

Lee Leuning and Sherri Treeby continue an important theme with “Saturday’s Distractions”, the small things that we forget about as we age. When I was this girl’s age I would go to thrift stores and pick up a book and sit down and read the entire thing on a Saturday afternoon. Now I am lucky to read a chapter of a book. That is the way life goes, eh? “Saturday’s Distractions” is a great physical reminder to pick up your skateboard, ride your bike or escape in a book this weekend (or do it all at once like this lass)!

For more on Leuning & Treeby’s “Saturday’s Distractions” click here.

To check out my previous blog on Sculpture Walk’s “Day-By-Day” follow this link. 

July 24, 2014- Castlegar Sculpture Walk Sculpture of the Day “Day By Day”

“Day By Day” is a sculpture crafted from modern resin compounds and can be found amongst other pieces on Columbia Avenue in front of Kootenay Market. This free flowing compact sculpture was created by Regine Neumann from Quebec. To find out more about her other work (and past works that have been part of Castlegar’s Sculpture Walk) click here.

To me this sculpture is aptly named and very fitting for this point in my blog series on Sculpture Walk. It has seemed like days have just been passing all merging together lately building up into something bigger and about to peak lately. I think this piece really captures that well, when you let things happen naturally beautiful things can happen, like “Day By Day”. Neumann really lets the material and feel of a piece dictate how the art will come together and I think that “Day By Day” is a perfect example of the freedom she allows her sculpture to enjoy. I also really like that the sculpture is not perfectly white, like even the most perfect days we enjoy as humans there always seems to be a little something more.

To see the previous sculpture in my series “Talking Crows” click here.

July 23, 2014- Castlegar Sculpture Walk Sculpture of the Day “Talking Crowes”

I have been reading a lot of Game of Thrones lately so today’s sculpture takes on little bit of a different meaning for me, when I hear the word “crow” I immediately am transported to the Wall these days.

With that being said I’m guessing “Talking Crows” was not created by Nelson’s Denis Kleine with Game of Thrones in mind. Regardless he has captured the essence of two crows beautifully having a chat on a tree and its branches. Crafted in bronze atop a beautiful stone base “Talking Crowes” captures one of nature’s conversation that we normally tune out. With one bird listening and the other speaking we can easily relate to the humanity exhibited in this piece.

I am so impressed that there is yet another Kootenay artist featured on Castlegar’s Sculpture Walk! Denis Kleine is based out of Nelson and has actually won the Peoples’ Choice Award for Sculpture Walk in the past! For more about his big win and his art click here.

To visit my previous blog about “Talking Crows” neighbor sculpture “The Kiss” click here. 

July 18, 2014- Castlegar Sculpture Walk Sculpture of the Day “Sova”

Daniel Kloc's "Sova" perfectly captures the wisdom and mystical nature of the owl. "Sova" is one of the smallest sculptures on Castlegar's Sculpture Walk but should not be underestimated because of its size.


"Sova" is incredibly detailed, with every feather perfectly defined.

I learned a little Czech from the Castlegar Sculpture Walk website, "sova" is the Czech word for female owl. To learn more about "Sova" (the sculpture) and Kootenay artist Daniel Kloc click here.

To see "Whisperer" the very large sculpture featured in my blog before "Sova", click here.

Small but mighty, I had to include a close-up on this incredible sculpture by another talented artist from the Kootenays.

July 15, 2014- Castlegar Sculpture Walk Sculpture of the Day “Whisperer”

Yes, it has been a few days. This heat wave has melted my ambition for writing so I think my blogging will cool down until the temperature does the same.

Intricate. Beautiful. Blue.

Noelio Gonzalez has crafted an amazingly colorful mystical piece called “Whisperer” that stands tall and open to your interpretation between multiple sculptures outside of Castlegar’s City Hall and RCMP Offices.

I like to think of “Whisperer” as an incredible blue dragon but you can let your imagination create your vision for what it is. Regardless I think we can agree that “Whisperer” is a beautiful spectacle sparkling in blue.

“Whisperer” comes to us from Noelio Gonzalez, an American sculptor from Florida. You can learn more about the whimsy of “Whisperer” by clicking here.

To see my previous blog about the wild “Zodiac Totem” on Columbia Avenue click here.

July 11, 2014- Castlegar Sculpture Walk Sculpture of the Day “Zodiac Totem”

“Zodiac Totem” is one of the most unique sculptures on this year’s Castlegar Sculpture Walk. There really is not anything quite like it. The detail and originality behind Pokey Park’s five bronze animals that make up this wild totem pole is incredible. I have been admiring this sculpture for quite some time and am absolutely enchanted by it!

Gigantic in height “Zodiac Totem” stands nine feet tall and every inch of it is rich with purpose and detail. Pokey Park is a renowned American contemporary sculptor who calls Arizona and Colorado home. For more on Pokey Park and her amazing work fusing wildlife, nature and art click here.

To see my previous blog on Castlegar Sculpture Walk’s “Petrified” click here. 

July 08, 2014- Castlegar Sculpture Walk Sculpture of the Day “Petrified”

I love “Petrified”. Inside a wire nest sit three soapstone eggs, one has hatched allowing us to see its colorful interior. “Petrified” sits beside yesterday’s Sculpture of the Day “Link”, just off Columbia Avenue in front of City Hall.

There is a magical element to these prehistoric looking eggs. I think they prove how impossible it is to judge something by its exterior. I love the vibrant interior of the hatched egg. I cannot imagine how hard it was for Spring Shine to move these gigantic eggs and manage positioning them in the nest.

Could “Petrified” be the next permanent addition to Castlegar’s Sculpture collection? I think it fitting. So many amazing things get their start and grow here. Often they leave the nest, but as one the new friends I have met here in Castlegar told me, they always find themselves back in the beautiful Kootenays.  

"Petrified" is a sculpture by another very talented BC artist, Spring Shine is based out of Argenta and you can learn more about him, "Petrified" and his other work by clicking here.

To see my previous blog on Castlegar Sculpture Walk's towering sculpture "Link" click here.

July 07, 2014- Castlegar Sculpture Walk Sculpture of the Day “Link”

Tonight’s Castlegar Sculpture Walk blog of the day is super short; it is too hot to type! Tomorrow’s blog might be even shorter than this one if it gets to be 36 degrees, as the forecast predicts!

“Link” is an incredibly hard sculpture to capture in a photo. I recommend you check out more about artist Mir Agol and “Link” here on Castlegar Sculpture Walk’s website to see it in it’s full glory.  Mir Agol is formerly a BC artist; he now lives and works in Washington. To see it in better lighting and find out more about Mir Agol click here.

I like this sculpture because it represents (to me) how interconnected we all are and how lucky we are when we can make a special connection with another person. “Link” stands tall amongst other sculptures outside of Castlegar’s City Hall and the RCMP Detachment on Columbia Avenue.

To see my previous Castlegar Sculpture Walk blog on “Tundra”click here.

July 06, 2014- Castlegar Sculpture Walk Sculpture of the Day “Tundra”

Today’s sculpture feature is another work of art that is large and in charge on Columbia Avenue. As you can see “Tundra” is a steel work that stands tall outside of Kootenay Market.

“Tundra” is a shaggy musk ox created by Maryland’s Virginia Sperry.  I am so impressed with the detail behind “Tundra”; Sperry crafted every bit of the musk ox perfectly from each shaggy bit of hair to its curled horns.  Even though the musk ox is intimidating with its horns and hooves it is also friendly looking, a gentle giant made of steel!

This morning I saw so many people on the streets taking in Castlegar’s Sculpture Walk and Canada Day packs of people were walking around with their voting cards viewing all of the impressive artwork part of the exhibit.  Do not forget you can vote until the end of September for this year’s People’s Choice Award!

For more on Virginia Sperry and “Tundra” click here.

To check out my blog on Nathan Smith’s amazing piece “Jelly” follow this link.

PS. It has been a beauty of a week here in the Kootenay Boundary; but seriously we need it cool down so this girl can get some sleep!